1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrochemical cells, and particularly to the structure and arrangement of a cell especially suitable for detection and measurement of noxious gases in the atmosphere.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In recent times, great awareness has developed regarding the dangers of air pollution, particularly in urban or industrialized areas. As the level of noxious elements in the atmosphere increases, a greater need arises for equipment to detect and measure the quantity of such elements so that their presence in the atmospheres can be reduced or eliminated. In order to meet needs arising in connection with pollution control, extensive activity has been devoted to development and production of equipment useful in solving this problem. For the successful development of such equipment, primary consideration must be accorded to the requirements of commercial and operational feasibility. Although systems may exist which may be considered functionally successful, actual utilization in practical applications has quite often been thwarted due to the cost or complexity of such equipment. Therefore, in many cases where beneficial reduction of air pollution has been an important desideratum, its achievement has been rendered impractical by the inordinately complex or costly aspects of the means proposed therefor.
Accordingly, there exists an urgent present need for air pollution control equipment which is both effective in operation and which can be practically utilized in widespread commercial applications without incurrence of excessive cost. This requirement exists in connection with equipment for the detection and measurement for polluting materials, as well as for equipment whereby the quantities of such materials may be controlled or reduced.
The general criteria applied to measuring and testing equipment such as the cell of the present invention include requisites for portability, non-prohibitive cost and accuracy in measuring the quantity of the gas detected. In the prior art, it has been found difficult to simultaneously fulfill all of these requirements. Increasing the accuracy of measuring equipment has inherently involved an increase in either the size or the complexity of such equipment thereby disadvantageously affecting either cost or portability or both. Quite often, problems related to the simultaneous provision of these features have been decisive in obstructing the practical development and utilization of particular detection apparatus.
It is, therefore, considered of significant importance and a valuable contribution to the art of pollution control equipment to provide detection apparatus capable of accurately measuring gas quantity which is also of a relatively convenient size enabling portability, and which does not involve prohibitive cost for its manufacture and practical uitlization.